Performance of the CGS six DOF Shaking Table on the Harmonic Signal Reproduction

Shaking table testing continues to play an important role in earthquake engineering research. It has been recognized as a powerful testing method to evaluate structural components and systems under realistic dynamic loads. Although it represents a very attractive experimental procedure, many technical challenges, which require attention and consideration, still remain. High fidelity in signal reproduction is the focus of the work presented in this paper. The main objective of this paper is to investigate the capabilities of adaptive control techniques based on Amplitude Phase Control (APC) and Adaptive Harmonic Cancellation (AHC) on the harmonic signal tracking performance of the shaking table. A series of 232 sinusoidal command waveforms with various frequencies and amplitudes were conducted on the shaking table of the laboratory of the National Earthquake Engineering Applied Research Center (CGS, Algeria). Experimental results are reported and recommendations on the use of these adaptive control techniques are discussed

Multi-axial Real-time Hybrid Simulation Framework for Testing Nonlinear Structural Systems with Multiple Boundary Interfaces

Hybrid simulation is a widely accepted laboratory testing approach that partitions a proposed structure into numerical and physical substructures, for a space- and cost-effective testing method. Structural elements that are expected to remain in the linear elastic range are usually modeled numerically, while computationally intractable nonlinear elements are tested physically. The loads and conditions at the boundaries between the numerical and physical substructures are imposed by servo-hydraulic actuators, with the responses measured by loadcells and displacement transducers. Traditionally, these actuators impose boundary condition displacements at slow speeds, while damping and inertial components for the physical specimen are numerically calculated. This slow application of the boundary conditions neglects rate-dependent behavior of the physical specimen. Real-time hybrid simulation (RTHS) is an alternative to slow speed hybrid simulation approach, where the responses of numerical substructure are calculated and imposed on the physical substructure at real world natural hazard excitation speeds. Damping, inertia, and rate-dependent material effects are incorporated in the physical substructure as a result of real-time testing. For a general substructure, the boundary interface has six degrees-of-freedom (DOF); therefore, an actuation system that can apply multi-axial loads is required. In these experiments, the boundary conditions at the interface between the physical and numerical substructures are imposed by two or more actuators. Significant dynamic coupling can be present between the actuators in such setups. Kinematic transformations are required for operation of each actuator to achieve desired boundary conditions. Furthermore, each actuator possesses inherent dynamics that needs appropriate compensation to ensure an accurate and stable operation. Most existing RTHS applications to date have involved the substructuring of the reference structures into numerical and physical components at a single interface with a one-DOF boundary condition and force imposed and measured. Multi-DOF boundary conditions have been explored in a few applications, however a general six-DOF stable implementation has never been achieved. A major research gap in the RTHS domain is the development of a multi-axial RTHS framework capable of handling six DOF boundary conditions and forces, as well as presence of multiple physical specimens and numerical-to-physical interfaces. In this dissertation, a multi-axial real-time hybrid simulation (maRTHS) framework is developed for realistic nonlinear dynamic assessment of structures under natural hazard excitation. The framework is comprised of numerical and physical substructures, actuator-dynamics compensation, and kinematic transformations between Cartesian and actuator/transducer coordinates. The numerical substructure is compiled on a real-time embedded system, comprised of a microcontroller setup, with onboard memory and processing, that computes the response of finite element models of the structural system, which are then communicated with the hardware setup via the input-output peripherals. The physical substructure is composed of a multi-actuator boundary condition box, loadcells, displacement transducers, and one or more physical specimens. The proposed compensation is a model-based strategy based on the linearized identified models of individual actuators. The concepts of the model-based compensation approach are first validated in a shake table study, and then applied to single and multi-axis RTHS developments. The capabilities of the proposed maRTHS framework are demonstrated via the multi-axial load and boundary condition boxes (LBCBs) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, via two illustrative examples. First, the maRTHS algorithm including the decoupled controller, and kinematic transformation processes are validated. In this study, a moment frame structure is partitioned into numerical beam-column finite element model, and a physical column with an LBCB boundary condition. This experiment is comprised of six DOFs and excitation is only applied in the plane of the moment frame. Next, the maRTHS framework is subjected to a more sophisticated testing environment involving a multi-span curved bridge structure. In this second example, two LBCBs are utilized for testing of two physical piers, and excitation is applied bi-directionally. Results from the illustrative examples are verified against numerical simulations. The results demonstrate the accuracy and promising nature of the proposed state-of-the-art framework for maRTHS for nonlinear dynamic testing of structural systems using multiple boundary points.Ope

Multi-axial real-time hybrid simulation framework for testing nonlinear structure systems with multiple boundary interfaces

Hybrid simulation is a widely accepted laboratory testing approach that partitions a proposed structure into numerical and physical substructures, for a space- and cost-effective testing method. Structural elements that are expected to remain in the linear elastic range are usually modeled numerically, while computationally intractable nonlinear elements are tested physically. The loads and conditions at the boundaries between the numerical and physical substructures are imposed by servo-hydraulic actuators, with the responses measured by load cells and displacement transducers. Traditionally, these actuators impose boundary condition displacements at slow speeds, while damping and inertial components for the physical specimen are numerically calculated. This slow application of the boundary conditions neglects the rate-dependent behavior of the physical specimen. Real-time hybrid simulation (RTHS) is an alternative to slow speed hybrid simulation approach, where the responses of the numerical substructure are calculated and imposed on the physical substructure at real-world natural hazard excitation speeds. Damping, inertia, and rate-dependent material effects are incorporated in the physical substructure as a result of real-time testing. For a general substructure, the boundary interface has six degrees-of-freedom (DOF); therefore, an actuation system that can apply multi-axial loads is required. In these experiments, the boundary conditions at the interface between the physical and numerical substructures are imposed by two or more actuators. Significant dynamic coupling can be present between the actuators in such setups. Kinematic transformations are required for the operation of each actuator to achieve desired boundary conditions. Furthermore, each actuator possesses inherent dynamics that need appropriate compensation to ensure an accurate and stable operation. Most existing RTHS applications to date have involved the substructuring of the reference structures into numerical and physical components at a single interface with a one-DOF boundary condition and force imposed and measured. Multi-DOF boundary conditions have been explored in a few applications; however a general six-DOF stable implementation has never been achieved. A major research gap in the RTHS domain is the development of a multi-axial RTHS framework capable of handling six DOF boundary conditions and forces, as well as the presence of multiple physical specimens and numerical-to-physical interfaces. In this dissertation, a multi-axial real-time hybrid simulation (maRTHS) framework is developed for realistic nonlinear dynamic assessment of structures under natural hazard excitation. The framework is comprised of numerical and physical substructures, actuator-dynamics compensation, and kinematic transformations between Cartesian and actuator/transducer coordinates. The numerical substructure is compiled on a real-time embedded system, comprised of a microcontroller setup, with onboard memory and processing, that computes the response of finite element models of the structural system, which are then communicated with the hardware setup via the input-output peripherals. The physical substructure is composed of a multi-actuator boundary condition box, loadcells, displacement transducers, and one or more physical specimens. The proposed compensation is a model-based strategy based on the linearized identified models of individual actuators. The concepts of the model-based compensation approach are first validated in a shake table study, and then applied to single and multi-axis RTHS developments. The capabilities of the proposed maRTHS framework are demonstrated via the multi-axial load and boundary condition boxes (LBCBs) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, via two illustrative examples. First, the maRTHS algorithm including the decoupled controller, and kinematic transformation processes are validated. In this study, a moment frame structure is partitioned into numerical beam-column finite element model, and a physical column with an LBCB boundary condition. This experiment is comprised of six DOFs and excitation is only applied in the plane of the moment frame. Next, the maRTHS framework is subjected to a more sophisticated testing environment involving a multi-span curved bridge structure. In this second example, two LBCBs are utilized for testing of two physical piers, and excitation is applied bi-directionally. Results from the illustrative examples are verified against numerical simulations. The results demonstrate the accuracy and promising nature of the proposed state-of-the-art framework for maRTHS for nonlinear dynamic testing of structural systems using multiple boundary points

Enhancing the collaboration of earthquake engineering research infrastructures

Towards stronger international collaboration of earthquake engineering research infrastructures International collaboration and mobility of researchers is a means for maximising the efficiency of use of research infrastructures. The European infrastructures are committed to widen joint research and access to their facilities. This is relevant to European framework for research and innovation, the single market and the competitiveness of the construction industry.JRC.G.4-European laboratory for structural assessmen

Structural Control Strategies for Earthquake Response Reduction of Buildings

Destructive seismic events continue to demonstrate the importance of mitigating these hazards to building structures. To protect buildings from such extreme dynamic events, structural control has been considered one of the most effective strategies. Structural control strategies can be divided into four classes: passive, active, semi-active, and hybrid control. Because passive control systems are well understood and require no external power source, they have been accepted widely by the engineering community. However, these passive systems have the limitation of not being able to adapt to varying conditions. While active systems are able to do that, they require a significant amount of power to generate large control forces. Moreover, the stability of active systems is not ensured. The focus of this report is the improvement and the validation of semi-active control strategies, especially with MR dampers, for building protection from severe earthquakes. To make semi active control strategies more practical, further studies on both the numerical and experimental aspects of the problem are conducted. The research presented in this report contributes the improvement and prevalence of semi-active control strategies in building structures to mitigate seismic damage.Financial support for this research was provided in part by the Long Term Fellowship for Study Abroad by the MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, Japan) and the Newmark Account.Ope

Structural control strategies for earthquake response reduction of buildings

Destructive seismic events continue to demonstrate the importance of mitigating these hazards to building structures. Structural control has been considered one of the most effective strategies to protect buildings from extreme dynamic events such as earthquakes and strong winds, and has been applied to numerous real buildings in recent years. Structural control strategies can be divided into four categories: passive, active, semi-active, and hybrid control. Because passive control systems are well understood and require no external power source, they have been accepted widely by the engineering community. However, these passive systems have the limitation of not being able to adapt to structural changes and to varying usage patterns and loading conditions. While active systems are able to adapt various conditions, they require a significant amount of power to generate the necessary large control forces; guaranteeing the availability of such power during seismic events is challenging. Moreover, the stability of active systems is not ensured. To compensate for the drawbacks of passive and active systems, semi active control systems have been proposed. Semi-active control devices possess the adaptability to flexible external inputs, do not require large power sources, and do not have the potential to destabilize the structural system. However, semi-active control has been slow to be accepted by engineering practitioners. The focus of this dissertation is the improvement and the validation of semi-active control strategies, especially with magnetorheological (MR) dampers, for building protection from severe earthquakes. To make semi-active control strategies more practical, further studies on both the numerical and experimental aspects of the problem are conducted. In the numerical studies, new algorithms for semi-active control are proposed. First, the nature of control forces produced by active control systems is investigated. The relationship between force-displacement hysteresis loops produced by the linear quadratic regulator (LQR) and the linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) algorithms is explored. Then, new simple algorithms are proposed, which can produce versatile hysteresis loops. Moreover, the proposed algorithms do not require a model of the target structure to be implemented, which is a significant advantage. The seismic performance of the proposed algorithms on a scaled three-story building model is compared with the LQG-based clipped-optimal semi active control and LQG active control cases. In the experimental studies, the effectiveness of semi-active control strategies are shown through real-time hybrid simulation (RTHS) in which a MR damper is tested physically. In this dissertation, two new structural control methods proposed in the literature recently are investigated, i.e., smart outrigger damping systems for high-rise buildings and smart base isolation systems consisting of passive base isolations and semi-active control devices. The accuracy of the RTHS employing the model-based compensator for MDOF structures with a semi-active device is discussed as well. The research presented in this dissertation contributes the improvement and prevalence of semi-active control strategies in building structures to mitigate seismic damage

A method for the mechatronico analysis of parallel kinematics manipulators based on decoupling the dynamics of actuators and mechanism

287 p

Sliding Mode Control

The main objective of this monograph is to present a broad range of well worked out, recent application studies as well as theoretical contributions in the field of sliding mode control system analysis and design. The contributions presented here include new theoretical developments as well as successful applications of variable structure controllers primarily in the field of power electronics, electric drives and motion steering systems. They enrich the current state of the art, and motivate and encourage new ideas and solutions in the sliding mode control area